NEW PREMIER LEAGUE BALL USED AT AITC KICKS SESSION

Brighton & Hove Albion winger Solly March joined players from one of Albion in the Community’s Premier League Kicks sessions for an early glimpse of next season’s official Premier League match ball.

March was at the Crew Club in Whitehawk earlier today where players from AITC’s session were given the chance to try out the new Nike Ordem V.

The football, which will also be used in Serie A and La Liga, was only unveiled this morning, meaning AITC’s Premier League Kicks participants were among the first players in the country to play with the new ball.

England under-21 international March, was only too happy to go along to the session – and try out the ball he and his Albion team-mates will be using when they begin the club’s debut Premier League season.

He said, "Brighton is a very community-minded club and as a player it is great to get out to sessions like this. It was brilliant to see so many young people out playing football and enjoying themselves.

"When I was younger I used to love seeing what the new football boots and footballs looked like, so it is brilliant that the players at AITC's Kicks session got to try out the new Premier League match ball before any of the professional players."

Premier League Kicks is one of the Premier League's flagship community programmes and is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary.

The aim of the programme is to use football to build stronger communities and to date more than 180,000 young people have taken part in the Premier League Kicks sessions – with 68 professional football clubs across the country now delivering sessions through their community schemes.

Locally, the Premier League Kicks session in Whitehawk is one of around 40 that AITC runs regularly in Sussex. In fact, AITC now runs one of the largest Premier League Kicks programmes in the country, with more than 2,000 people attending one of the charity’s free football sessions over the last 12 months.

Martin Schooley, AITC’s inclusion manager, said the Premier League Kicks participants were delighted to be given the chance to try the new ball.

He said, “Our players had a fantastic time. For them to get to try the new ball before their heroes in the Premier League - and to meet one of the Albion players who will be using it next season - was amazing.

“Our thanks go to Nike and the Premier League for the opportunity and, of course, to Solly for giving up his time.”